Jalen Hurts; this is worth watching

[purplefaithful]

The Eagles haven't yet provided many updates on how Hurts is feeling after his concussion. Sirianni told reporters on Monday that the plan was just to follow the steps of the NFL's concussion protocol in assessing Hurts' status for the week.

"When that happens, we just lean on the doctors to let us know on a daily basis of where he is," Sirianni explained, per NBC Sports Philadelphia.

This echoed the message Sirianni had in the immediate aftermath of the team's loss to the Commanders.

"Anything that has anything to do with the head is out of our hands there," Sirianni said.

Hurts' status for the Eagles' Week 17 game against the Dallas Cowboys remains unclear, but he was listed as a non-participant on the team's practice report for Wednesday. The report was just an estimation, as the Eagles did not hold a practice on Christmas, but it's still a sign that the quarterback is trending toward being "questionable" at best for Sunday's game.

Hurts will likely need to get on the practice field Thursday or Friday in at least a limited capacity to have a shot at playing against the Cowboys.

That said, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni didn't rule out playing Hurts if he was cleared but didn't practice when asked about the possibility during a Monday news conference.

"Each and every week is a different scenario," Sirianni said. "What I’ve seen is Jalen knows how to prepare, knows how to get himself ready," Sirianni said. "He is a true pro, who like I’ve said, I just can’t say enough good things about Jalen. Jalen the player, Jalen the leader, Jalen the person. Every week is a little bit different and I know Jalen does everything he can to get ready for each and every week regardless of the circumstances."

Given this, Hurts' status will be worth watching over the weekend, especially if he is given the "questionable" tag after Friday's practice.

USA Today

[Montana Tom]

The NFL's concussion protocol is fairly in-depth now, and no short-cutting it. Here is what it is today...both Game Day and Return to Participation protocols:

Concussion Game Day Checklist
When a player receives an impact to the head, the player goes into the Concussion Protocol if:

the player exhibits or reports symptoms or signs suggestive of a concussion or stinger (a nerve pinch injury); or,
the team Athletic Trainer, booth ATC spotter, team Physician, NFL game official, coach, teammate, sideline Unaffiliated Neurotrauma Consultant (UNC) or booth UNC initiates the protocol.

Then the player must be immediately removed to the sideline or stabilized on the field to undergo the concussion assessment.

Improvements to the Concussion Protocol
For the 2018 season, the Head, Neck and Spine Committee made additional improvements to the Concussion Protocol:

Added a third UNC who will monitor the broadcast video and audio feeds of each game from the spotters' booth, and notify on-field UNCs of possible head, neck or spine injuries.

Defined impact seizure and fencing responses as independent signs of potential loss of consciousness, representing "No-Go" criteria under the current Protocol. Players who display either of these signs at any time shall be removed from play and may not return to the game.

Required an evaluation for all players demonstrating ataxia (abnormality of balance/stability, motor coordination, or dysfunctional speech) to determine the cause of the instability. If the team physician, in consultation with the sideline UNC, determines the instability to be neurologically caused, the player is designated a "No-Go" and may not return to play.

Officials, teammates, and coaching staffs have been instructed to take an injured player directly to a member of the medical team for appropriate evaluation, including a concussion assessment, if warranted.

Required all players who undergo any concussion evaluation on game day to have a follow-up evaluation conducted the following day by a member of the medical staff.

Return-To-Participation Protocol
Every NFL player diagnosed with a concussion must follow a five-step process before being cleared to fully practice or participate in an NFL game. This process, developed from internationally accepted guidelines, ensures that each player receives consistent treatment.

Each player and each concussion is unique, and there is no set time-frame for return to participation. Team medical staff consider the player's current concussive injury, as well as past exposures and medical history, family history and future risk in managing a player's care.

After a player has progressed through the five-step process, and is cleared for full participation by his club physician, he must be seen and separately cleared by an Independent Neurological Consultant (INC), jointly approved by the NFL and NFLPA, who is not affiliated with any NFL club. Until cleared by this independent physician, a player may not return to contact practice or play in an NFL game.